Type cleaning device with reversible cleaning element



Sept. 19, 1961 F. A. STIRRUP 3,000,031

TYPE CLEANING DEVICE WITH REVERSIBLE CLEANING ELEMENT Filed July 23, 1959 El g. 2

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FRHNK 7. ST/RRUP HTTORNEV United States Patent 3,000,031 TYPE CLEANING DEVICE WITH REVERSIBLE CLEANING ELEMENT Frank A. Stirrup, 517 Carleton Road, Westfield, NJ Filed July 23, 1959, Ser. No. 829,079 4 Claims. (Cl. 15210) This invention relates to hand operated devices for use in cleaning type of machines and devices of various types and kinds. More particularly, the invention deals with a device of the character described employing a one-piece supporting body having an arc-shaped channel portion, in which a cleaning element is reversibly mounted.

Still more particularly, the invention deals with a device of the character described, wherein a stripper tape is disposed between the cleaning element and the channel to facilitate removal of the element from the body, said tape having fingerpiece ends protruding beyond the ends of the body to facilitate manipulation thereof.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description, when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed and, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views and, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side View of the device made according to my invention; and

FIG. 2 is a central cross-section of the device, after it is turned 180 about a horizontal axis, diagrammatically illustrating the use thereof in cleaning type.

In practice, I preferably employ a one-piece cast or molded body 10, which can be formed of metal. However, in the accompanying drawing, the same is illustrated as formed of plastic material by virtue of the crosshatching applied. The body includes a curved or arc-shaped channel portion 11 defined by a bottom wall 12 and side flanges 13, inner surfaces of which are preferably slightly bevelled, as will appear from a consideration of FIG. 2 of the drawing.

Arranged centrally of the bottom wall 12 of the body 10 is a reinforcing web 14, which also forms a fingerpiece portion facilitating operation of the device. At either side of the web 14, the bottom wall 12 is further reinforced by longitudinally extending beads 15 which form compression channels 16 exposed at the outer surface of the wall 12, or into the channel 11, as will clearly appear from a consideration of FIG. 2 of the drawing.

At 17 I have illustrated the cleaning element in the form of a non-hardening pliable compound or cleaning material, the element being in the form of a ribbon of predetermined thickness extending the full length of the channel 11 and of suflicient thickness to protrude beyond outer edges of the flanges 13 of the channel 11.

At 18 is shown a stripper tape which is disposed between the inner surface of the element 17 and the outer surface of the wall 12 of the channel 11, as clearly noted in FIG. 2 of the drawing, the tape 18 having ends 19 which protrude beyond the ends of the channel 11 or body 10 and form fingerpiece portions which facilitate removal of the element 17 for disposal thereof and/or in reversing the position of the element 17 on the holder. The element 17 is held in the channel 11 by pressure contact, but is free to be stripped therefrom by the stripper 18 and, further, the stripper 18 can be readily removed from the surface of the element 17 in the operation of reversing said element. In this connection, it will be understood that, in the reversing operation, a supplemental stripper 18 can be placed in the channel 11 and the first stripper utilized as a means for pressing the element in the channel; whereupon, the original tape can Patented Sept. 19., 1961 ice be stripped from the then exposed surface of the element 17. In this way, the finger of the hand need not come into direct contact with the element 17, thereby avoiding soiling of the hands.

In FIG. 2 of the drawing, I have diagrammatically illustrated at 20 a pair of type characters, the type impressions of which are indicated at 21. In cleaning the impressions 21 and areas around the same, the element 17 is simply rolled over the type and the adhesive or tacky characteristics of the element will pick up foreign matter that may prevail in and around the characters 21. This operation can be repeated a number of times with the one exposed surface of the element 17; whereupon, the element can be reversed, as previously described, and the cleaning operation repeated from time to time, thus providing relatively long cleaning service for the element 17.

In some instances and when relatively hard pressure is necessary to be applied to the device in performing a cleaning operation, it will be understood that the channel 16 will allow the flexible stripper tape to yield into the channel 16 as the pliable material of the element 17 is placed under compression.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A type cleaning device comprising an arc-shaped channel, including a centrally disposed reinforcing web on the concave surface thereof, said Web forming a fingerpiece portion facilitating operation of the device, said channel having on the convex surface thereof side flanges extending only in a radial direction, a cleaning element in the form of a thick strip arranged in the channel of the device within said flanges, said element being of sufficient thickness to project beyond the flanges of said channel, a stripper tape arranged between the bottom of the channel and said element, said tape having fingerpiece ends protruding beyond ends of said channel, thereby facilitating stripper removal of the element from the channel of the device, and said web extending the full length of the channel portion of the device.

2. A type cleaning device comprising an arc-shaped channel, including a centrally disposed reinforcing web on the concave surface thereof, said web forming a fingerpiece portion facilitating operation of the device, said channel having on the convex surface thereof side flanges extending only in a radial direction, a cleaning element in the form of a thick strip arranged in the channel of the device within said flanges, said element being of sufficient thickness to project beyond the flanges of said channel, a stripper tape arranged between the bottom of the channel and said element, said tape having fingerpiece ends protruding beyond ends of said channel, thereby facilitating stripper removal of the element from the channel of the device, said web extending the full length of the channel portion of the device, inner surfaces of the side flanges flaring outwardly, and means extending 1ongitudinally of the channel at opposed sides of the web for reinforcing said channel.

3. A device for reversibly supporting a non-hardening pliable type cleaning element, said device comprising a one-piece body defined by a curved channel portion having concave and convex surfaces thereon, a web extending integrally from the central portion of the concave surface of said body and the full length thereof, the channel being defined by a bottom wall and side flanges projecting from the convex surface of said body, said flanges extending only in a radial direction, inner surfaces of said side flanges flaring outwardly, a cleaning element being adapted to be arranged upon the convex surface of said body within said side flanges, and a stripper tape secured to said element and being arranged between the element and the convex surface of said body when the element is mounted on said body.

4. A device for reversibly supporting a non-hardening pliable type cleaning element, said device comprising a one-piece body defined by a curved channel portion having concave and' convex surfaces thereon, a Web extending integrally from the central portion of the concave surface of said body and the full length thereof, the channel being defined by a bottom Wall and side flanges projecting from the convex surface of said body, said flanges extending only in a radial direction, inner surfaces of said side flanges flaring outwardly, a cleaning element being adapted to be arranged'upon the convex surface of said body within said side flanges, a stripper tape secured to said element and being arranged between the element and the convex surface of .said body whenv the element is mounted on said body, and reinforcing beadsprojecting on the concave surface of said body at opposite sides of said web for reinforcing the bottom Wall of the channel 5 of said body.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 450,473 Northrop Apr. 14, 1891 510,653 Sinclair Dec. 12, 1893 646,824 Gerry Apr. 3, 1900 1,823,689 Kelley Sept. 15, 1931 1,902,024 Gerlach et al. Mar. 21, 1933 2,719,315 Sheehan Oct. 4, 1955 15 2,854,682 Berezny Oct. 7, 1958 

